


...And Hell Followed With Him

by chazz_anova



Category: Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 5
Genre: F/M, Veronica Rook, hope everyone likes this!, will add more character tags and stuff as i continue it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:55:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23531191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chazz_anova/pseuds/chazz_anova
Summary: Veronica Rook is a sheriff's deputy living a simple life, but when she goes on a warrant to arrest doomsday cult leader Joseph Seed, everything in her life goes wrong.
Relationships: John Seed & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

Veronica glanced lazily at the clock, which read 3:28am. She'd gotten off work about 4 hours earlier, but couldn't seem to lull herself to sleep no matter how many drinks she had or smoke breaks she took. Lately, the young sheriff's deputy had felt unsettled, like she was stuck in a rut. Ice clinked in her Crown Royal glass as she raised it to her lips, finishing it with a swig. "What's wrong with me Olive?" She asked the calico cat that padded silently into the room. The cat replied with a dainty mew and climbed into Veronica's lap. While petting her companion, she glanced around her modest townhome. 

It was a tastefully furnished two story home with a balcony and a neighborhood pool. She sat on a powder blue couch that was joined by an armchair off to the side. The TV screen in front of her read 'Are you there? Press X to continue" Answering the question aloud, she muttered "Sometimes I wonder if I am still here" She lifted Olive off her lap and replaced her with an engraved silver tray, a baggie of weed, and a Cherry Dynamite flavoured Swisher. She may be a deputy, but some vices she was reluctant to give up. 

A few moments later- Veronica stepped out onto her balcony, blunt in hand. She slowly took in the familiar scenery, living right on the outskirts of Hope County afforded her one of the best views. The Whitetail Mountains towered over the town beyond, the neon lights of various restaurants and gas stations glowing upwards and framing the tall peaks in a surreal glow. Her gaze turned up to the stars, dazzling like diamonds on the velvet black sky. As she lit up and the lighter illuminated her balcony, the atmosphere shifted a degree  _ 'Everything will be different soon.' _ The thought flew through her mind without warning, and she shivered as though possessed. "Jeez..." She murmured and took a long drag of the sweet smoke, shaking her head and praying for rest to come quickly, after this she’d go and try to lay in her bed until sleep overtook her finally. 

Running. Feet pounding the ground. Lungs shriveled and screaming for a full breath. Tears welled up in Veronica's eyes as she wind cut at her skin. In front of her, millions of faceless souls reached their hands out; grasping for her as she ran, seemingly suspended between them and what she ran from. The group was insistently whispering "Help. Help us." Veronica turned around, slowing a fraction. Behind her there was a plume of green smoke billowing out of an unseen source, threatening to take her mind and steal her heart if she got too close. The entities in front of her were murmuring "Please help us" "We need you". With each pleading moan their voices grew; louder and louder until their words were a guttural, rasping cacophony of screams. And just as suddenly as they appeared, they were gone and replaced by deafening silence. The air seemed to be holding its breath, and Veronica turned to see the smoke gone as well, leaving her alone in the blackness. 

Upon waking, Veronica gasped and clutched her heart, which was fighting to escape her chest with each beat. “Fuck!” She exclaimed and looked around her room. In the darkness she saw everything was normal, her desk and computer stood in front of her and no one occupied the chair in the corner to her relief. She took her phone from the nightstand and saw that it was only 6:20am. “Man, screw this.” She burrowed back under the black covers and pulled them over her head. 

The next time she awoke- gentle sunlight streamed in through the half open curtains and her eyes fluttered open. Checking her phone, it was now 10:42am, and relief filled her. Looking underneath the time she saw a message from her co-worker and good friend, Joey Hudson. It read “Come to your shift ready for some bull today!” Veronica sighed, typing out her response “Always do!” 

Soon enough, Olive jumped onto her bed and sat, giving her an impatient look. “Alright you little beast, I’ll get up.” She smiled at her furry friend and swung her feet over the side, striding into the kitchen and grabbing the cat food while also setting her coffee pot to brew.

In about 20 minutes- she was sitting on her balcony with a hot cup of mostly cream and sugar with a little coffee, and a quickly rolled joint.  _ ‘Please let today go by quickly...:’  _ she prayed to no one in particular. Her work outfit looked creased from not being washed recently, and she knew Sheriff Whitehorse would have something to say about that.  _ ‘After this joint I should probably get going.’  _ V thought, looking through the balcony windows at the clock. 

Veronica stepped into the grey/white walled sheriff’s office; seeing Nancy at the front desk on the phone, examining her long nails disinterestedly. She gave her a quick wave before heading back to Sheriff Earl Whitehorse’s office, where a commotion could be heard. 

“I don’t care how scared of him all you backwoods hicks are, where I’m from we get shit done!” An aggressive man declared, venom dripping from his words.  _ ‘This must be the aforementioned bullshit Hudson mentioned.’  _ Veronica sighed before pasting a professional smile over her frown and stepping into the room. “You’ve got no right to just come in here like-” Hudson’s confident voice was absorbed by the same angry voice that had started the yelling, “Oh I’ve got every right missy. Know why? Because I’m a federal marshal, and what I say goes.” The tension in the air was malleable. Between Hudson glaring daggers at the stranger and Whitehorse’s dejected look, Ronnie knew she had just walked into a shitstorm. “Woah, let’s take it down a notch okay?” She said, directed at the man in front of her. He was of a bulkier build, and his stance said he was used to having things his way or the highway. “Oh great, another dumbass deputy to deal with! Sheriff, get your team and your shit together.” The man pushed past Veronica and Joey, shouldering his way out of the room. “Nice to meet you too!” The youngest deputy called before turning back to Hudson and Whitehorse. “So, who pissed in his cheerios?” 

Hudson just shook her head angrily, as Whitehorse replied grimly “Joseph Seed.”

“That pastor who’s been causing trouble in Hope County?” 

“That’s the one. He’s formed some kind of militia and is kidnapping folks… I’d get yourselves ready, because as soon as the judge fills that warrant we’re all going to pick him up.” 

V met his words with an incredulous look, retorting “He’s bad enough that we all get to join Captain Sunshine there on a simple warrant like that? I mean, every time we’ve had to deal with him and his followers it’s never seemed that severe.” Hudson spoke up, pulling her phone from her pocket and presenting a video “Look for yourself. Someone sent this in a couple days ago.” 

Grainy footage showed a tall, shirtless man in aviators preaching to a flock of similarly dressed people. The video zoomed in on the man’s chilling blue eyes; and the camera suddenly fell to the ground, showing the owner of the device being dragged forward and put on his knees before the preacher. In a casual manner he reached forward and placed his thumbs against the man’s eyes, pressing while his victim’s screams grew louder and more pained. Soon the man fell to the ground, and Joseph flicked the blood from his hands as though it were water. Veronica’s eyebrows raised in surprise as the scene was cut off and a new image appeared on the screen.

The recording was now taking place outside. There was a sizable wooden stage and Joseph stood in the center, a large curtain obscuring what was on a stand behind him. “My children, we must repent for our sins!” Joseph called while pulling the curtain down with some flourish. Veronica gasped in shock upon seeing the man from before who’d had his eyes crushed. He was lifted up onto a wooden pole, his eyes had been replaced by a white flower in each eye socket. Looking down his body- it was clear someone had mutilated his chest cavity as well, carving out space for a bouquet of the same flowers. On both sides of his head antlers had been impaled into his skull, where dried blood decorated the base of each antler in grotesque detail. 

When the video finally faded to black, Veronica handed the phone back to Joey. “Wow, I’m glad I didn’t have anything heavy for breakfast.” She deadpanned, shaking her head. “This is a mistake, we need more people.” Whitehorse murmured and walked out of the room with an exasperated look. “Old man’s taking this real hard… I think he saw something real messed up on the last call out to Joseph’s compound.” Hudson looked after him with worry clear on her face. The other deputy nodded, unable to clear the images from the video from her mind. “Even though he’s clearly an ass, maybe the Marshal is right and we’ll just go snatch him up real quick.” 

“Hopefully..” Hudson murmured and left the office as well, leaving Veronica alone. 

The rest of the day- Marshal Cameron Burke holed up in a back office making heated phone calls, trying to find a judge to sign his warrant. V spent most of the day riding with another deputy, Staci Pratt. Veronica couldn’t stand Pratt, so every call they went on was a chore. However, the shift was finally drawing to a close as the pair pulled up once more at the station. 

As soon as they walked in the door, Burke was on them. “You two, I suggest getting some rest tonight, because I found a judge. Once I’ve gathered everything I need, we’ll be flying out to Joseph’s compound.” Veronica checked the clock in the lobby, nodding “Well it’s 9 now, when are we leaving?” The Marshal sighed, as though responding was a chore, “We leave when I call and tell you we’re leaving.” V narrowed her eyes while crossing her arms, “You know, I’m not sure what your problem is, but don’t talk to me like that. You’re an adult, not a petty child, act like it.” The federal marshal was shocked someone had stood up to him, and unsure what to say. Seizing the opportunity to make her escape before her mouth got her into more trouble, Ronnie rushed past the man, shaking her head.  _ ‘What an asshole!’  _ She thought as she punched numbers into the timeclock, hurrying out of the building without further incident.

About 20 minutes later, Veronica was speeding down the winding country roads in her beat up Mazda Miata. The roads were entirely empty, save for a deer she saw on the side of the road while taking the next turn. Upon rounding the corner- a large flare of light and an earth-shaking explosion caused her to slam on the brakes. “What the hell…” She peered out of the window. “Guess I should go check on that.. being an officer of the law and all…” Her murmured words were enveloped by another explosion, causing her to jump. Some days the job of a deputy wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. 

Ronnie had finally reached the area where the explosions had been coming from, after breaking several traffic laws to get there. Stepping out of the car, she drew her gun and took a preliminary look around the clearing. There were almost cartoon-worthy scorch marks on the ground that had wiped away any sense of greenery on the ground, but no one seemed to be around. V kept the gun at her side and started her sweep of the area. Right as she was going to start heading back to her car to report this to the station, she heard someone walking through the woods to her left. “Note to self, don’t light the fuse before you’re ready to have it blow up..” She heard someone mutter to themselves before she yelled “Freeze! Who are you and what’re you doing here?” A man of medium build walked out of the treeline, holding his hands in the classic ‘I surrender’ style. He wore a green sweatshirt, and a matching ballcap. “Charlemange Victor Boshaw at your service ma’am, I apologise for the bother-” 

“You describe an explosion as a ‘bother’?” Veronica interrupted, gun staying trained on him. 

“Well yeah. It sure bothered me that it exploded.” 

“May I ask what you were exploding?” 

“So my totally awesome cousin Hurk gave me some dynamite that he made himself, and of course being a good buddy I told him I would try it out! Well, silly me I didn’t realise that Hurk only knows how to make short-fused dynamite! So when I went to light it, it exploded preemptively so that’s why there’s those scorch marks… ma’am.” 

Veronica cocked her head to the side, giving the man an incredulous look, “Would you be offended if I said that was the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard?” He thought about it for a moment before responding sincerely “Nope.” The deputy nodded, saying “Well I appreciate the honesty! Unfortunately, I’ve gotta call the station for this one.” She fished her badge from her pocket. The man crossed his arms, asking “Well what exactly are the charges?” 

“Uhm… detonation of an explosive device and illegal possession for one.” 

“I supposed I can’t argue with that.” He said amiably, watching Veronica reach for her radio off the utility belt she still hadn’t removed after work. 

The pair sat on the curb together, one handcuffed one not. “So you’re  _ the  _ Sharky Boshaw?” Ronnie asked, giving him a mischievous smile. Sharky grinned and shrugged modestly “The one and only!” 

“You’re a legend around the station, I’m surprised I haven’t seen you before! Out of curiosity… why choose this spot for blowing shit up?” 

“Well I was actually on my way to the store when I saw this spot and thought to myself ‘That would be a good field to set off some fireworks’. Then I remembered Hurk had put his stuff in my backseat, and that dynamite is just a less pretty firework, so here we are!” 

When his story was finished, V gave him a look that was part amused, part withering glance. “I can’t tell if you’re joking.” He shrugged with a lackadaisical smile. Before either of them could continue the conversation, a light brown Crown Vic pulled up and the sirens on the roof let out a quick  _ whoop  _ before one of the night shift deputies stepped out. “Hey Veronica! Boshaw, the backseat’s ready for you!” He said, helping Sharky stand and turn towards the car. Veronica stood with him, and gave a curt nod to her coworker, “Thanks for coming out, Sam.” 

Finally after that detour, V was almost home. It was a relatively long drive back and forth, but she didn’t mind it. Working with Sheriff Whitehorse was worth it since she’d known him almost half of her life. Veronica and her mom had moved to Hope County when she was only 12, her mom found work as an officer and then an office administrator for Earl until Nancy came along and gave her mom the chance to take her pension, and start a new job as a conservation officer at a small national park nearby called Polebridge. 

The actual sheriff’s office was in Missoula, about two hours away from Hope County, making Veronica’s drive home take about an hour since she lived practically in between the two. 

Keeping her eyes on the road, she dug one-handed through her purse for her phone. Once it was in hand she said “Hey Google, call Mom.” and a soft chirp came from the device, processing the demand before dialing. Three rings in- a cheery voice answered.   
“Hey sweetie!” 

“Hey, mom, I just had a question?”

“Sure what’s up?”

She paused, rethinking her request for a moment. In that second, her nightmare from last night danced through her thoughts and her mind was made up. “Oh um, well I’m going out on a warrant tonight, and I was wondering if you could watch Olive for me? It’s probably nothing, I just had a weird feeling.” 

“Of course! I’d love to see my grandkitty! I’m glad you know when to listen to your gut.” 

“Well I learned from the best! I just got home now, can I pack her up and head over?”

“That’s fine! I’ll be here for a bit. Can I plan on you staying for dinner?”

“Uh… yeah that’ll work, I don’t have any plans. I’ll see you soon, love you!” 

“Love you too!” 

The line disconnected with a click as Veronica pulled into her driveway and stepped out of the car, fetching her keys from the caribinger she kept it on. As she approached the door, she heard insistent meowing on the other side. “I’m comin’…” She chuckled and pushed the door open to reveal Olive, who immediately rushed to hug her legs as she stepped over the threshold. “Hey monster, ready to see grandma?” She asked in a baby voice and grinned at her, reaching down to pick her up. As soon as she did- the cat clambered up to her shoulder and balanced precariously “Why are you like this?” She joked, removing her before making her way to the hallway closet and pulling out the cat carrier and a half-full bag of cat food.

Once she’d put a few more odds and ends into an overnight bag, she took out her decorative, pink bong and loaded a bowl. The water bubbled and pure white smoke filled the center chamber as she lit the greenery in the bowl. After coughing her lungs up for a few moments she set the glass piece on the table and stood up, “Okay, now we can go!” She declared and bundled Olive and all her things into the Miata. 

In a quick 15 minutes- the two of them pulled up in front of her mom’s. It was a tidy ranch style home, painted robin’s egg blue with crisp white shutters. V knocked on the door, Olive’s carrier in one hand. 

Her mom answered the door with a sweet smile on her features, immediately wrapping the deputy in a tight hug, “Hi Ronnie!” She exclaimed before pulling back. “Hi mom!” She responded and stepped through the door, setting Olive down. Sarah Rook looked like an older version of Veronica except her hair was a chestnut brown as opposed to V’s dirty blonde; they shared aquamarine eyes and a light spattering of freckles.

The younger woman pulled the zipped and freed the hyper cat, who immediately jumped from containment to survey her surroundings. “Someone’s impatient!” Her mom chuckled and watched the cat sprint off into the hallway. “She takes after me I guess.” Veronica smiled and inhaled deeply, “Is that steaks and mac and cheese I smell?” 

“Well I thought I’d at least fatten you up before you leave tonight.” Her mom said and ushered her into the dining room. There was a round white table there that was joined by a tall china cabinet filled with memorabilia. The places had already been set, two red and white checkered table mats sat across from each other at the corresponding seats and the silverware was laid out neatly. “Sounds good to me, I’m starving!” Veronica took a seat and watched her mom buzzing about the kitchen as she put the finishing touches on their meals. 

Once everything was done, the table was filled with food. A bowl of salad in the middle, with a basket of rolls to the side. Their plates were adorned with juicy t-bone steaks, mac and cheese, and potato salad. “I knew there was a reason I hadn’t put you in a nursing home…” V joked as she savored a bite of the rare steak, just how she liked it. Her mother scoffed, and took a sip of water, “As if you could.” They both shared a smile and then turned to see Olive padding into the room, her head in the air as she scented the air. “What a brat.” Veronica said as she jumped up on the table expectantly. “You did say she took after you!” Her mom retorted, picking up the naughty cat and setting her on the floor. “So, what’s this warrant you’re going on?”

“Mom, you know I’m not supposed to divulge any details...”

“Oh please, I used to be in the game, and still kind of am. I worked for Whitehorse long before you did, I don’t think I need to be counted as a citizen.” She said, rolling her eyes. Veronica looked uneasy as she considered it for a moment, then relented; “It’s some doomsday cult leader… Joseph Seed. Something about him really freaked me out.” She confessed, almost hanging her head. Being freaked out was not the norm for this deputy. “Why’s that?” 

“I think it’s just his ability to brainwash all of these people… anyone who can do that has too much power. Also Earl is scared of him, which is weird. He’s usually so gungho about catching the bad guys, but he doesn’t even want to go on this warrant.” 

“That’s certainly odd. I’ve never seen that man back down, there must be something seriously bad going on.” Her mom looked off, her brow furrowed in deep thought. “Hopefully this mission will just be in and out. That way I can get back to my baby!” She said the last part in a higher pitch, directing it at the cat, who was sitting in the window behind them. “I hope so too sweetie. People like him are the reason I’ve got a bunker.” Ronnie smirked, saying “Yeah you and everyone else in Hope County, it seems like.” 

“It never hurts to be prepared!” 

“I guess so.” She relented, standing and grabbing their dirty dishes. 

After all the dishes were cleaned and hugs were shared, Veronica stretched and glanced at the clock which showed 10:45pm. “Man how’d it get so late so fast?” She mused and stroked Olive’s soft little head. “Hopefully a late dinner won’t give you any nightmares.” Her mother thought out loud and wrapped Veronica in another suffocating hug. “It was nice having dinner with you baby, I love you!” She smooched Ronnie on the cheek before pulling away and giving her a loving grin. “I had a good time, and the steaks were amazing. Thanks for having me over, I love you too!” She returned the kiss on the cheek and put her hand on the doorknob. As she stepped out her mother wished her luck on the warrant later, and then she was in her car once more. 

20 minutes later, V was brushing her teeth, staring at herself in the mirror wearing a simple black night dress that fell to her thighs and was fringed with lace at the bottom.  _ Long day… who knows when that asshole Burke is gonna call me.’  _ She thought, spitting out the toothpaste and wiping her mouth with the back of her arm. As she flopped into bed, the black sheets felt cold without Olive’s presence, but she felt it was for the best. It was 11:11pm as she glanced at the clock. “Make a wish…” She murmured while her eyes shut, the feeling of a full stomach lulling her to sleep. 

A blaring ringing tore through the dark silence in Veronica’s bedroom. It was her phone, blasing her generic android ringtone. Her eyes snapped open and she grasped for her phone, having to blink the bleariness away before seeing that it was Hudson calling her. She looked at the clock for the second time that night to see only two hours had passed, making it around 1am. She slid the green answer icon across the screen and answered, her voice thick with annoyance, “Hello?” Instead of Joey’s pleasant voice, she was met with Marshal Cameron Burke’s gruff one, “Rook, get your ass up and get dressed. We’re executing this warrant now.” 

“Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“Yeah, time to arrest that asshole Joseph Seed.” Burke practically shouted, and then Veronica was met with a dial tone. She scoffed, pulling the phone from her ear to look at it and see only her lock screen, a photo of Olive in a taco costume. “Guess I’m getting ready.” She grumbled and turned on the lamp sitting on her nightstand. The light flooded every corner of the room, forcing V to squint as she flipped the covers off and walked over to a chair in the corner of the room that was covered with clothes and blankets. She snatched her green work button up before finding a tank top and some jeans. On top of her dresser, she eyed her jewelry box and plucked out a rose gold heart-shaped locket with a matching chain. It was engraved  _ ‘To Veronica, Love nana’ _ Once she was dressed, she buckled her utility belt and hurried down the stairs to the front door. 

Something forced her to stop and take a look at the open plan townhome. All was calm and nothing stirred in the living room, yet she felt eerie as she left. Almost like she was abandoning her castle. She shook her head, shaking the thought off and stepping through the door to lock it. As she was walking to the car she pulled out her wallet from her back pocket, it was a replica of the one used in  _ Pulp Fiction  _ that said ‘BAD MOTHERFUCKER’ on the side. She opened the zippered secret pocket, pulling out a faded scrap of paper. On it was written ‘Good luck on your first day! -Mom’. She’d slipped her that on her first day at the sheriff’s department. At the time, V had laughed and said “I’m not a kid!” But stowed it away nonetheless as a good luck charm. A sudden, bone-chilling breeze whipped across the land, forcing a shiver to wrack her body. Veronica stepped into her car, feeling like this was going to be a long night. 

The deputy’s hands clenched the steering wheel- frustration written all over her features. She’d already been to the station only to get redirected to some field by Nancy, who was the only one not joining this adventure. Apparently the sheriff had asked her to come in and man the scanner, just in case things got out of hand and they needed to call reinforcements. Ronnie shook her head as she saw Hudson, Whitehorse, Pratt, and Burke standing in front of a matte black helicopter that had a badge on the side. Upon walking up to join them, Veronica called “Well this is fancy!” Staci stepped up next to the marshal, exclaiming “Yeah, the feds decided to help us out on this one!” He clapped Burke on the shoulder- earning him a heated glare. “Anyways… everyone pile in. Hudson, you’re flying us.” The grumpy man got to the point, motioning everyone into the copter. 

  
  


In no time they were in the air, flying to Joseph’s Compound on an island in the middle of Hope County. Veronica looked at the screen of the gps in the front, searching for the time. She found that it was 2:37am, and asked “So what exactly is the benefit of going to get him so late?” Cameron replied- his voice dripping with unearned confidence “The benefit, Rook, is catching him by surprise.” As Ronnie was about to speak up, Pratt cut in with, “You don’t catch men like Joseph Seed off guard.” 

At that moment Joey spoke up, “Crossing the Henbane now.” Everyone looked out of the wide windows, only to catch sight of a perfect rendition of Joseph Seed’s face captured forever in stone in way of a towering monolith. “Crazy motherfucker…” Burke murmured, his gaze held by the monument. “Jesus Christ.. we’re officially in peggie country.” Hudson shook her head before looking back to the skies. “You know, they call this Angel’s Peak. It’s a holy place for them.” Pratt said, sounding almost wistful.

“How much longer?” Cameron asked. 

“Just long enough for you to change your mind so we can turn this bird around.” Whitehorse insisted. “You want me to ignore a federal warrant, sheriff?” Burke scoffed.

“No sir, I want you to understand the reality of this situation. Joseph Seed… he’s not a man to be fucked with. We’ve had a few run ins with him before and it hasn’t always gone our way. Sometimes.. sometimes it’s better to just leave well enough alone.” 

Burke scoffed, lifting up the warrant. “Yeah, well we have laws for a reason; and Joseph Seed’s gonna learn that.” Instead of replying to that, the sheriff radioed Nancy to make sure she was still there, and told her that if she didn’t hear from them in 15 minutes to call backup. V looked down and saw a white church surrounded by other smaller buildings, she was mystified. The whole situation didn’t even seem real. ‘ _ Maybe it’s just because it’s late and I haven’t gotten any good rest lately.’  _ She thought, trying to comfort herself. Somehow it didn’t help. 

“So what’s with calling them ‘peggies’? I’ve never heard anyone at the station call them that.” Veronica asked, hoping to lighten the mood. “Project Eden’s Gate. P. E. G. It’s what the locals call them.” Earl explained. Somehow she knew he was trying to distract himself as well. 

As they got closer, it was obvious there were people everywhere. “So much for taking him by surprise.” She muttered, shaking her head and thinking  _ ‘I could be asleep right now.’  _ The helicopter jerked slightly as it landed on the ground, the blades whirling to a stop. All of them exited the bird, taking in their surroundings. Peggies surrounded them on all sides and the compound had as many as 12 buildings; dorms, a barn, and various other houses. The cult members regarded them suspiciously, casting daggers their ways and muttering insults. Ronnie looked to her left as they walked down the main path, there was a man wielding a flamethrower and keeping a pire of fire sufficiently lit. “They don’t fuck around…” V commented, her brow furrowed. 

The group made their way into a fenced corridor topped with an arch that said ‘Church of Eden’s Gate’ with the cross adorning the center. As they walked, a creaking then metal clanging could be heard behind them, causing Veronica to whip around only to witness them closing the gate behind them. “Why are they closing the gate?” Joey asked, looking to her partners for answers but receiving nothing. They approached the door to the church and could hear a choir of members singing a hymn as Whitehorse motioned for them to hold up. “Going in there, we do this my way, quietly.” He said sternly, mainly for Burke’s benefit. Cameron smirked and put a hand on Earl’s shoulder, “Relax sheriff. You’re about to get your name in the papers.” Veronica couldn’t help but shake her head, something was wrong here. 

As the white double doors swung inward, V took in the scene and was enthralled. Joseph was standing at the front of the church delivering a sermon, “Something is coming… you can feel it can’t you? We are creeping towards the edge, and there will be a reckoning. Because we know what happens next; they will come for us… to  _ take  _ from us. Take our guns, take our freedom, take our faith. We will not let them!” The church patrons were captured by his presence, hanging on every word. 

The deputy, marshal, and sheriff made their way to the platform Joseph stood on. White candles surrounded him, casting a holy glow on his features. “We will not let their greed, their morality, or their  _ depravity  _ hurt us anymore!” The preacher’s voice grew as Marshal Burke reached him and held the paper warrant aloft. Whitehorse murmured “Goddammit…” and Cameron said forcefully “Joseph Seed, we have here a warrant for your arrest, under suspicion of kidnapping with intent to harm. I’m gonna need you to step down with your hands where I can see them, and come with us.” Veronica noticed three figures she hadn’t seen practically melting out of the shadows to stand behind The Father.

“Here they are, the locusts in our garden. They’ve come to take me from you, to destroy all we’ve built!” The peggies started to converge around Joseph, their voices joining together as they objected. He parted through them, his calm demeanor quieting their shouts. “We knew they would come. This is what we’ve prepared for. Go…” He sent them off and came to stand in front of the pews, raising his hands up. “I saw the lamb of the first seal and I heard the noise as if of thunder as one of four beasts sang ‘Come, see’-”

Cameron cut him off, “Step forward!” Joseph stepped closer- undertered from preaching, “And I  _ saw  _ and behold, it was a white horse... and Hell followed with him.” He finished while looking from Earl to Ronnie and finally holding out his hands, a worn brown rosary dangled from his wrist. “Rook, cuff this son of a bitch.” Burke growled. 

V stepped forward, about to pull out her cuffs when the people behind him caught her eye once more. She recognised them to be his family. From right to left; there was a gruff looking man with scar tissue climbing up his side, next to him a beautiful young woman wearing no shoes and a lacey, floral dress. Veronica’s gaze lingered on her a moment before she took in the last figure- a tall man wearing an expensive looking duster. His piercing stare found hers and she felt as though he was seeing straight into her soul. Ice filled her veins and she froze in place, suddenly feeling like a gazelle who had just realised the lion was upon her but only when it was already too late. There was so much animosity in the man’s eyes, like he hated her for even thinking of taking his brother. 

“Earth to Veronica.” Burke’s annoyed voice snapped her from the trance she was in, causing her to shiver before finally producing the cuffs. The metal clinked around Joseph’s small wrists, and right as she was about to secure the second ring, he turned his hand to grip her wrist tightly and V looked into his eyes. “God will not let you take me.” He said calmly without an ounce of doubt. “Good thing God doesn’t get to decide in the end.” She retorted before shaking off his hand and slapping the final cuff on with a resounding click. 

As they walked out the church doors with Joseph in cuffs, armed peggies started to surround them. “Back up!” Hudson yelled, taking lead. Burke pushed a woman down when she got too close, and the crowd became more riled up, closing in as they walked to the helicopter. Soon, they started throwing rocks at the group and screaming, trying to defend their Father. The whole time Joseph stayed eerily silent, even as they were getting into the copter. Pratt fired off a few warning shots to the cultists that were trying to mob the vehicle, Veronica and Burke pushed a few of them from the copter as they gained height, yet the peggies continued trying to swarm them.

One of the cultists did something, because the helicopter went into a tailspin, and the engine sputtered. Joseph looked skyward and began singing Amazing Grace, his tone calm despite the chaos. They made impact with a tree, then another and everyone but Joseph was screaming, their lives flashing before their eyes. Upon impact, the whole world cut out and everything was black.

  
  


Veronica’s eyes opened, and the world spun in streamers of color. Nancy’s frantic voice could be heard over the ringing in her ears, she was yelling into the helicopter’s headphones. She looked around and saw Burke across from her, dangling by his seatbelt, Earl was next to him, doubled over; and Joey was to her right. She tried to take in a deep breath and sputtered on thick smoke that was no doubt coming from the engine. Before V could swing forward and grab the headset to alert Nancy, she was pushed lightly back into her seat by a battered Joseph Seed. He smiled at her softly, grabbing the headset on his own while maintaining eye contact. “I told you that God wouldn’t let you take me…” He murmured soothingly. “We’ll see about that…” Veronica persisted. He shook his head and spoke into the headset mic, “Dispatch? Everything is just fine here. Call no one.” Veronica scoffed,  _ ‘Surely Nancy will know something is wrong-’  _ The thought began to cross her mind before she heard her last hope’s response: “Yes, Father. Praise be to you.” Her mouth dropped open in shock and horror, watching the man she came to apprehend smirk before whispering “No one is coming to save you.” 

He climbed from the wreckage and met a handful of his flock, reassuring them in a hushed tone. V started to struggle against her seatbelt, which was stuck fast. “Fuck, fuck, fuck..” She muttered and beat at the clip. Her companions began to wake and she turned to see Joseph standing on the hood of a car, his hands raised as he delivered an impromptu sermon, “The first seal is broken… now we must take what we need, for this world will be no more. We must stop all those that stand in our way- including these harbingers of doom. Begin the reaping!” He screamed the last sentence into the night air, his followers cheering. 

They swarmed the copter for the second time that night, Veronica, Joey, and the others squirmed trying to get free. Hudson freed herself finally, only to be savagely pulled from the wreckage kicking and screaming. “Joey!” Veronica yelled, reaching after her only to just miss her hand. More peggies ran over and were about to reach in, when a ring of flames surrounded them instead. “Fuck!” V exclaimed, pulling frantically at her seatbelt. Burke was able to free himself and dash out of the small opening in the wall of fire. Heat was searing her skin and desperation made her claw at the restraint harder and harder, finally the belt snapped and she tumbled forward to what used to be the roof of the vehicle. Ronnie caught herself just barely and found herself sprinting away into the foreboding woods. 

Branches whipped at her face, scratching her cheeks and forcing her to hold her hands out in front of her. Not far behind, the men who hunted her yelled, “She’s escaping! Grab her!” Emotions overwhelmed her; panic, fear, anger, confusion. “Goddammit give me a break!” She huffed, breath ragged from sprinting. She spotted a soft light in the distance, a campfire. V ducked behind a thick tree trunk- whipping her head around in both directions wildly, adrenaline and fear coursing through her. The angry voices were distant enough for her to turn and survey the campsite. 

There were two lawn chairs on either side of the fire, and a cabin beyond that. One of the cultists patrolled the perimeter, both hands on his handgun. She caught sight of a sizable branch in front of the fire, and knew what she had to do. Ronnie crept forward on the balls of her feet, trying to avoid any stray twigs as she made her way to the branch. Finally she was there, taking the worn wood in her hands and feeling the weight of it.  _ ‘This should do..’  _ She thought with a grim look. The deputy continued forward, waiting for just the right moment to slip behind the guard. Veronica gripped the bat harder and was about to swing when the guard turned around, surprise on his features. She wasted no time slamming the branch down on his head with a crack as he turned his gun towards her. The first blow slowed him- and for good measure she delivered the finishing blow. Through the branch, she could feel his skull give and an initial spray of blood shot from the wound, flecking V’s face in red freckles. She gasped and looked down to see his body twitch twice more before stilling, his heart steadily pumping out his life force.

Veronica felt cold as she watched the light drain from his eyes, shock starting to take over. She’d never actually killed anyone before. The world faded back piece by piece as she grabbed the man’s gun, and more screams came from the woods. She had to keep moving. A small drop off into the woods was her escape, and she crouched in the ferns on the woodland floor. There was another fire in the distance, and her enemies were scouring the area for her and Burke. 

Suddenly- her radio crackled, causing her to jump and grab it from her belt to muffle the speaker. “Hello? Hello.. it’s Burke… I think I lost them.. I see a trailer ahead across a bridge and I’m going to try to get inside. If anyone is still alive, if anyone is out there...” The signal was lost and it cut out. “Well I guess that’s where I’m going.” V sighed, and started slowly making her way through the woods. She passed the second fire, narrowly avoiding detection by two guards standing there. From there, she ascended a small hill that led to the bridge the marshal had mentioned. It creaked as she took to the wooden planks, practically crawling her way to the other end. When she got there, a white trailer with a green roof stoof in front of her. There were steps leading up to the back door which she pushed open cautiously, eyes darting side to side straining to catch any movement in the darkened abode. 

As soon as she cleared the door Burke was to her left, hands out and ready to attack. Veronica grabbed his arms, stopping him in midair before he regonised her. “Oh my god, Rook… you’re alive!” He cried with relief. “Yeah, no thanks to you, asshole. You left me to die back there!” She scoffed, glaring daggers at him. “I… It was just fight or flight, I was-” He struggled to defend himself.

“It doesn’t matter. Whitehorse told you this was a bad idea, this is your fault no matter what you have to say.” Ronnie cut him off, pointing an accusatory finger at him. When he had no retort she continued, “Now we have to find a way out of this shit show, and to rescue the others. Did you have a plan?” Burke sighed, walking further into the trailer, motioning for her to follow. The walls were wood panelled, and words were scratched into most of the walls; ‘The Father’, ‘Walk the path’, along with other mantras and bible verses. Pictures were also posted all over the spots that had no words. They all depicted the members of the Seed family in various poses and situations. One such picture was a framed portrait of all of them, Cameron grabbed this and stared into their eyes. He looked haunted. 

“The plan is to put all of these fuckers in jail. No matter what it takes.” He gathered himself before tossing it on the table and going to point out of one of the front windows. “To get out of here, I was thinking I could try to hotwire that truck, unless the keys are in it. It’s probably only a couple hours back to Missoula, then we’re gonna come back here with the National fucking Guard, and take care of these lunatics.” 

“Fine, let’s just get out of here before-” Veronica was cut off by a shot ringing out, and one of the windows behind her shattering into a spray of glass. “They’re in there!” Screamed a man, and more shots were fired at the trailer. “These guys just don’t give up!” She exclaimed, exasperated. Burke took shelter against one of the walls, pulling out his gun to fend off the attackers. V scanned the room and found a gun mounted on the wall, she grabbed it and cocked it before crouching under the shattered window, sitting up to aim outside. There were four peggies firing at them. She took aim at the first, shooting him square in the chest and knocking him to the ground. Burke took out one on the other side then turned to say “Cover me! I’m gonna go get that truck started!” Veronica nodded curtly before turning to shoot out the window twice more. 

Even more cultists were arriving at the scene and taking up arms, it seemed almost hopeless. V fired shot after shot, taking out as many as she could until she finally heard the sweet roar of an engine, and Cameron shouted for her to join him in the truck. “Finally, fuck!” She gasped, dashing from the trailer and ripping open the door to the vehicle. “Let’s fucking go!” He yelled while she slammed the door and immediately leaned out of the window to shoot at the peggies behind them. Burke careened down the simple dirt road, Veronica shooting at their enemies as they approached a chain link fence and busted through the gate with no problem, then they were crossing a bridge to the main road. 

Burke was gasping, close to panic, while V just felt numb.  _ ‘Shock must be setting in, great.’  _ She thought distantly. “God, I had no idea Rook. I didn’t know how bad it was, how right Whitehorse was… I wish we’d never served that warrant.” He rambled, glancing between the deputy and the road. “It’s too late for wishes, Burke… they’ve got the road blocked!” She exclaimed at the sight before her; peggies had their trucks and sawhorses blocking off the next section of street. She lifted her gun once more, shooting at them while Cameron swerved wildly to avoid the obstacles. One of the cultists to their right set off a flare, letting the rest of them know where they were. 

The pair crashed through another barricade, and Ronnie kept shooting at the people pursuing them that were in an identical looking truck. “We aren’t losing them marshal!” She shouted. “Alright, I guess we gotta try something else.” He huffed before taking the truck off road, almost going airborne as they crashed through a wooden fence. Blinding headlights were blazing behind them as more and more peggies joined the chase. Veronica happened to glance in the bed, and spotted some red sticks. “Oh fuck yeah.” She chuckled, reaching out of the window and grabbing a stick before producing her simple purple lighter that had miraculously stayed in her pocket. She lit the fuse on the dynamite, squinting her eyes as the cord came to life and the flame hissed. V chucked it at one of the trucks behind them, causing a loud boom and fire bloomed from the wreckage. “Shit! That’s pretty satisfying.” She commented, turning to Burke who still looked too scared to be impressed. 

After lighting a couple more sticks and tossing them out, causing some major chaos, they found themselves about to go under an overpass. Right before they passed underneath, a sleek white plane flew out of the clouds and began shooting at them, hitting some green crates on the side of the road only for them to explode. Keying into this as they finally passed under the bridge, she fired quickly at the crates scattered around an upcoming roadblock, sending people flying in every direction. “A plane, are you kidding me?” Burke yelled and pounded a fist against the wheel.

A gargantuan bridge waited on the other side of the roadblock, there was a sign mounted near the top that read ‘Henbane River Bridge’. As they raced across, Cameron took a deep breath before saying “Home free, after this we are home free!” Veronica wasn’t so sure as more planes swooped overhead, and suddenly a high-pitched whistling could be heard getting closer and closer, before V yelled “Bomb!!” and orange flames whooshed across the bridge, enveloping their truck and sending them tumbling into the river below. 

The vehicle was in a freefall with chunks of concrete, the river’s waters rushing up to meet them. Neither of them had time to say anything before they made impact. Veronica was incapacitated for a moment and when her eyes opened they were underwater, trapped once again. She saw Burke across from her pounding on the window, shattering it on his third try and swimming up to the top, leaving her to drown. Ronnie gathered together her last bits of energy, slamming her elbow into the passenger side window until it finally broke, and she maneuvered her way from the descending car. Her arms flailed as her lungs screamed, daring her to take a breath before breaching the surface, and then it went black. 

Not too long later, her eyes snapped open and she grasped at the wet silt underneath her, she was on the shore. On the bridge there were countless flashlights casted down upon the water, looking for her. She heard Marshal Burke yelling off in the distance, and saw a group of peggies pulling him away as he shouted “I am a federal marshal! You can’t do this!” Veronica tried to get the will to get up and run, knowing she was next; but her muscles screamed with exhaustion and wouldn’t cooperate. She was able to lift herself to crawl maybe a foot before collapsing once more, staring up at the sky and trying to accept that this was the end. 

A figure came into her field of vision and the barrel of a shotgun was dangerously close to her head, she didn’t even have the energy to protest as the person lifted her over their shoulder with a grunt, and began carrying her through the woods. Her vision faded in and out, allowing her to see them pass by a radio tower and then a cabin, only to walk down some metal stairs. Then she could fight no more; and everything went black. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica awakens in Dutch's bunker and is left with no other choice than to help him liberate his island. Eventually she makes her way to Fall's End to start building the Resistance in Holland Valley.

When Veronica woke, her head was throbbing; it felt like her brain was fighting to be free of her skull. She groaned quietly, then gasped as her memories flooded back. The warrant, the crash, running from the cult, Burke getting captured along with the others who could all be anywhere. When V tried to move her hands, she noticed that they were bound to the metal frame of a bed. Immediately, her head whipped around to see a tall man standing on the other side of the room, his back to her. He was listening to a radio- and Joseph Seed’s voice was being broadcasted. 

The man shut it off and turned around to look at her, grabbing his cigarette from his mouth and stubbing it out on an ashtray. “You know what this shit means? It means all the roads are closed. It means all the phone lines have been cut. It means there’s no signals getting in or out of this valley.” He said, walking over and sitting directly in front of her. Veronica scooted back as far as her bindings allowed, still not willing to say anything to her captor. He sighed at her response, continuing with “The goddamn ‘Collapse’... they all think the world is ending and they’ve been preparing for it. Waiting for someone to come along and kick off their fucking ‘holy war’. Well you sure as hell kicked. You know; the best thing for me to do would be to hand you over.” 

She watched him toiling over the choice in his head- and her fate rested on him making the right decision. “Fuck…” He said quietly before leaning over and cutting the zip ties that held her. Ronnie rubbed at her wrists and caution was written all over her face as she looked at him. He seemed to evaluate her for a moment before saying “Get out of that outfit, we need to burn it.” 

“Just because you saved me doesn’t mean you get a say in what I do, I need to find a way out of here and bring back some reinforcements.” Veronica finally spoke up, immediately going on the defensive. “And just how are you going to get out of Hope County? They’re all looking for you, every single one of those damn cultists.” The man crossed his arms, a condescending smile on his face. When she had no reply, he walked to the doorway and said “There’s fresh clothes in that locker there. When you’re ready, come see me.” before leaving the room. 

Once she was left alone- she stood up and found her legs protesting. ‘Wow, there’s some muscles I didn’t know I had.’ She thought humorlessly and made her way to the large locker to riffle through it for a new outfit. It consisted of mostly tank tops, tee shirts, cargo pants, and a few pairs of boots. V ended up wearing a purple tank top, brown cargo pants, and plain brown boots. ‘Seriously, who only owns cargo pants?’ She couldn’t help but think as she stared into the dirty mirror on the concrete wall. Veronica looked around the rest of the room, eyes falling on a pack of cigarettes he’d left on the table holding the radio. She roamed over, taking one from the pack and striking a match to light it as she took in the decor in the room. All sorts of pictures and plaques were on the walls, as well as some words sketched in the free spaces. “Man this guy’s been down here for a minute, seems like.” She murmured and took a drag of the cigarette, already feeling more relaxed. 

Ronnie emerged from the room into a hallway; there was a makeshift infirmary in the room in front of her, and further down the hall seemed to be a bedroom with two sets of bunk beds, which she glanced in, and saw a messy desk and some empty beer bottles. Walking the rest of the way down the hallway, she came into a room basked in red light. The man was fiddling with a radio in the corner, and to his left there were two giant bulletin boards, one covered completely with different scraps of paper and the other; a large map. 

The former was closest to Veronica and had a photo of each of the Seed siblings, connected with red string. Each portrait had little articles or notes pertaining to the sibling, and she felt drawn to the man she’d locked eyes with in the church. As she walked over to the board, she stubbed out her half-finished cigarette. “John Seed, the Baptist… the youngest brother.. marking, cleansing, confession, atonement… a grade A psychopath.” Veronica muttered as she skimmed the note next to his photo. Even in the picture his eyes reached hers, and she felt as though he could feel her utter his name. Veronica shuddered and her eyes found Jacob Seed’s photo, she was grateful for the distraction. “The soldier, in charge of training.. created monster wolves?” The last part made her raise an eyebrow, and she wondered what exactly she’d gotten herself into. 

Turning around to check on the man, she saw he was still turning knobs and calling out into the radio quietly, “Is anyone out there? Mary May?” He asked, paying her no mind. She figured she had time to read the last two. Joseph Seed was next, and Veronica couldn’t help but feel revolted. There was definitely something wrong with him. “The Father.. thinks God speaks to him, absolute nutjob. Sounds about right.” Finally she turned to the photo of the sister, Faith. “The siren. Just showed up one day… liar and a manipulator.. will poison your mind with Bliss…” She read and looked at the photo. The woman in it was pretty, and looked delicate; like she couldn’t hurt a fly. “What’s Bliss? And what’s your name, by the way?” V asked suddenly and turned around to face the man. “The name’s Dutch, and Bliss is a drug that the cult engineered from flowers that grow along the Henbane. It makes people susceptible to whatever Faith wants them to believe.” 

“That sounds like some sci-fi shit.”

“It won’t sound like that when you’re a drooling shell of yourself waiting on the Seed’s hand and foot.” Dutch insisted harshly, throwing a challenging look her way. Ronnie rolled her eyes and walked over to the second bulletin board, which was a giant map of Hope County. She traced her index finger along the blue line that depicted the Henbane River surrounding the land. “This is the river I fell into right?” She asked, her voice sounding distant as she relived the memory. “Yeah… you’re lucky to be alive. Look, I’ve been trying to figure out what’s going on up top and it doesn’t look good” He sighed, causing her to turn her attention to him. Dutch glanced into one of the small cameras he had set up on the table next to the radio, then adjusted his glasses uncomfortably. “What is it?” V prompted. 

“From the little I can gather, your partners are still alive… for now. Seems they’ve been split up, each one handed off to a different member of Joseph’s family.” 

Veronica perked up at this, “Then I’ve got to save them! I have to-” Dutch put a hand up and cut her off, “I know you want to save them kid, but the thing is there ain’t no help coming. No one knows what’s going on here and they won’t know until it’s too late. There’s gotta be people willing to fight back against this cult… we just need to show them how. We need to build a resistance.” The deputy didn’t know what to say, disbelief written on her features. “You want us to get together a band of civilians to fight off religious militants… yeah, that sounds like a great plan that definitely won’t get us killed.” He shook his head with a small smile, “I like you, deputy. Listen, if you could escape from them that shows they aren’t the ones with all the power; you’ll be Hope County’s symbol of hope.” 

“What are you, my agent?” She scoffed, “How am I supposed to save them anyways? I’m just one deputy, I’ve never even killed anyone before last night… where would we even start?” As she spoke she grew quieter and more fragile. Though she was obviously not over what had happened, Dutch was no comfort, “Listen, I’m sure what you went through was traumatic; but it’s your job to help these people. And to do that, I need you to help me liberate this island so we can figure out what’s happening out there.” Veronica looked away, her lips in a tight line as she expressed her displeasure; “Fine. But only because you saved me, so I owe you. What do you want me to do?” 

“Atta girl. There’s a gun and a map in the safe over there, along with a backpack. Grab ‘em, then I’ll give you a call on your radio once you get your bearings.” He motioned to the small safe standing next to the doorway. With a sigh, she walked over and grabbed the items he’d mentioned. A simple 1911 handgun, a black handheld radio, and a red backpack that had some ammo in it already. “Be careful out there, there’s peggies everywhere.” Dutch called as she made her way out of the bunker and up the metal stairs she’d been carried down only hours earlier. Veronica couldn’t be bothered to reply. 

When V pushed open the heavy door to the bunker- the sunlight was blinding. She stepped out of the stale air and into a clean, fresh breeze and took a deep breath while squinting. When she looked out into the semi-familiar woods, immediately she felt anxious. Flashes of last night replayed in her mind and her pulse quickened. “What the fuck is wrong with me?” She asked aloud and shivered despite the fair, but foggy weather. 

Ronnie made her way down the path and opened up the map Dutch had given her. She knew that Hope County was big, but standing here looking at the realistic map made her feel small. On it, she saw red x’s along with people’s names. Right as she was wondering what it was her radio beeped and Dutch’s voice could be heard from her backpack’s pocket, “Hey deputy, you there?” 

“I’m here, what are these red marks on the map?” She asked, looking at one that said a name she recognized: Sharky Boshaw. “Those are allies that could really help the cause. If you help them somehow, maybe they’ll help us.” 

“You’ve been planning this whole resistance thing for a minute haven’t you?”

“It doesn’t hurt to be prepared, dep.” He replied with a sigh. “My name’s Veronica.” She said, realising with a tinge of embarrassment that she’d never told him her name. “Nice to officially meet you, Veronica. Now- if you’re gonna build a resistance-”

“Who ever said I was building this thing? This is your plan!” She interrupted, the beginnings of anger in her voice. “I can’t do this alone, and I need your help. Are you a deputy or not? I thought you were supposed to help people.” Dutch retorted, shaming her. Ronnie felt put on the spot, and didn’t know what to say. Does this have to be her responsibility? How was she supposed to build an army from nothing, just because she landed here? The thoughts argued in her mind, pulling her between what was now her duty, and what she felt her limits were. ‘I wish I’d drowned in that river.’ The whisper in her mind was gone as soon as it appeared, and she didn’t know what to do with herself. “I don’t know. Just tell me what you need to tell me, Dutch.” She said coldly, cradling the 1911 in her hands like a safety blanket. “Fine. So the cult has hostages, they might help us if we rescue them. Another big thing will be destroying their ‘shrines’ they have put up all over the county, they’re an eyesore anyways. Lastly, when you aren’t helping the people out there, there are big outposts in every region, filled to the brim with peggies. Take a few of those out- and they’ll know who they’re messing with.”

“You have an awful lot of faith for having just met me.” She sighed, putting the handgun back in its holster. “That’s all big picture stuff, for now I need you to do something for me. Head South and take out any cult shit you see, then I’ll let you know what’s next.” He finished, and the radio went dead. “Alright I guess I’ll just go do your dirty work.” Veronica said to no one. Today was not her day. 

As V crept through the bright woods, she heard people yelling in the distance. “I guess that’s what Dutch was talking about.” She murmured and made her way forward, leaning out of the bushes to look for the people making a commotion. Ronnie found herself on a rocky outcrop, looking down at what she could only assume was one of the shrines Dutch had mentioned. It was a smaller building with a steeple topped by a cross, and inside it was a large tank that was spewing green smoke. Upon seeing that, the deputy stopped in her tracks and recalled the nightmare she’d had only a couple nights ago. It felt like an eternity. Sitting there crouched on the rocks, her mind drifted to Olive and her mother; she couldn’t never see them again. The thought filled her with resolve and she surveyed the area. 

Below, there were three shabbily dressed people with assault rifles guarding two individuals who were on their knees tied up. The deputy gathered her resolve and took stock of her weapons, ‘The 1911’s too loud, I don’t want them to just kill those people… I guess stealth is the only option.’ Pulling out her knife, it was decided, and she made her way down the outcrop and into some foliage behind the guard closest to her. 

When the other two were looking at the shrine, V took her chance to rush forward and grab the man in front of her, her hand clamping down on his mouth as she shoved the blade into his throat and pulled him back into the bushes. Scarlet spurted from his jugular and Veronica tried to hold his body still as he thrashed, causing the bushes to rustle and catch the other two’s attention. “What was that?” One of them asked, causing them both to turn and aim their weapons. Before they caught sight of her, Veronica had her gun out and pointed, shooting off a few rounds and hitting one in the leg and the other in the shoulder. 

They yelled and started firing in her direction as she scrambled away from the body she’d been holding. A stray bullet grazed her thigh as she leapt behind a rock, and she cried out. V held the wound for a moment and hissed through her teeth, ‘I’ve gotta get better at this! Police Academy doesn’t prepare you for this shit.’ She thought and aimed once more, trying to ignore the pleading yells from the hostages. Veronica sighted down the barrel of her gun and exhaled until there was no air in her lungs, like she’d been taught, and squeezed the trigger. The next few shots were deadlier, two shots into the one on the left’s chest and the final three into the one on the right. 

She stilled for a moment, listening for any more movement from her enemies. When she heard none, the deputy rose from behind her cover to hurry over to the hostages, all while thinking ‘Apparently the good ole spray and pray is the way to go.’. When she reached the cult’s captives, she took her bloodied knife and cut the bonds that held them. “Thank you! Thank you so much, we would have died or… worse if you hadn’t come along!” One of them, a woman, cried and held onto V’s arm. The other, another woman, was more gathered and picked up one of the peggies’ guns. “Thanks for your help. I’m taking the fight to these assholes.” She checked the chamber and threw the strap around her shoulder before walking over and leading her friend away. “Maybe Dutch was right.” Veronica said to no one as she watched them walking off. 

When the pair was out of sight, she turned her gaze to the formidable structure on the edge of a small cliff. She stepped up a few rocks, glancing down at the two bodies as she passed. Something made her pause, and she reached down to rifle through their pockets, trying to avoid the drying blood from their wounds. Veronica had her eyes screwed shut as she pulled some loose ammo from each of their pockets, along with one of their guns. When she was done, she stuffed the loot into her backpack and tried not to think of what she’d just done. ‘Apparently I’m not above looting, that’s good to know.’ She almost scoffed at herself, even though she knew she would need to do much worse to survive this. The gun in her hands was a plain black AR-C, and it seemed to be in good shape. “At least these creeps take good care of their weapons.” V thought aloud, trying to find a silver lining in all this.

The woman stood in front of the shrine and peered in through the wire fencing. Inside she saw a large red container with an explosive hazard sign on the side, the smoke billowed from the tank in thick waves; making Veronica dizzy. She took a staggering step back and saw stars as her vision warped. “What the fuck?” She shook her head, trying to clear the white spots from her sight. “Alright, avoid that shit for sure.” Ronnie raised her brows and sighed before walking away from it and lifting her new machine gun. She shot off a few rounds and ducked with her arms shielding her head as the tank exploded suddenly, making the earth vibrate and shrapnel fly in all directions. When the air settled, she looked back up to see a blackened husk where the structure had been, ‘Good riddance.’ She smirked and pulled the strap of the gun securely around her, heading further up the trail. 

As she walked, her radio chirped and Dutch’s voice came from it; “Shit, kid! I just saw the cult grab a guy down by the docks, if you help him out he might be willing to pick up a gun and help you clear the cult off this island as a favour!”

“It’s all about favours with you, isn’t it Dutch?” Veronica responded and pulled out the map once more to look for the docks when he didn’t reply. She found they were to the west of her, not too far away. V backtracked down the path, then took a left to go to the Silver Lake Boathouse. 

The boathouse was a large building with faded, chipping red paint; and it was surrounded by a dock. As she approached, the deputy noticed all the trash scattered on the ground. ‘Doesn’t anyone care about littering?’ She thought with a scoff as she kicked some trash out of her path. The moment her boots hit the wood- Ronnie heard yelling, “Some people are harder to save than others!” a gruff voice yelled, then there was a grunt and someone else shouted. She turned to the dock on the other side of the pond and saw a peggie with a long beard punching a man on his knees. “This must be them!” She exclaimed and hunkered down immediately. 

Her handgun was up and raised at the man, shooting off two shots and taking him down. A woman with a machine gun ran from behind a rock to her fallen friend, ‘She must have been his lookout.’ Veronica thought absentmindedly as she took aim again, pulling the trigger right as the woman noticed her from across the water. The round pierced her neck and she fell over, holding her throat as blood escaped through her fingers in thick spurts. Ronnie stood, and dashed across the shore to the other dock and the man on his knees. 

Upon reaching him, he’d already stood up on his own and he called to her, “Hurry, get these ropes off me!” and V used her knife for the second time that day to free someone. He rubbed at his wrists and said “Thanks… you just saved my life. My name’s Ryan, Ryan Crawford.” 

“Deputy Veronica Rook.” She responded curtly, putting her gun away. “Oh you’re a deputy? That’s amazing, you can help all of us!” Ryan seemed overjoyed at the revelation, and V felt even more trapped. “Yeah… well, you’re free. I’d find shelter and stay there.” She said, turning around to leave. “Where will you go?” 

“Wherever I’m needed, I guess.” Came her flippant response as she walked up the trail, leaving him on the dock. After walking a couple yards away, her radio sounded off, “What the hell was that Veronica? You’re going to need help if you’re going to fight back against the cult.” Ronnie clenched her fists, giving herself a moment before responding, “Unlike you, old man, I wouldn’t want to put anyone else’s life on the line for my own gain. I won’t be asking anyone for help, if they want to risk themselves, fine. But I’m not going to cash in on any ‘favours’.” The young woman couldn’t help but grind her teeth in anger. “Fine, do whatever you like. You still have to help me though, so head up to the Forest Research Station. The cult’s been crawling all over that place, using it as a depot for their goddamn Bliss. Clear ‘em all out to send a message- we aren’t fucking around anymore. Dutch out.” The radio clicked, and she shoved it back into her backpack, huffing as she found herself walking once more.

In about six minutes, she was crouched behind a fallen tree on a small cliff looking down at the research station. There were at least five men below all working on various tasks. V could see large green tanks like the ones she’d seen only the night before. She retrieved her radio, and whispered harshly into it, “Dutch, this Bliss shit is explosive right?” As he answered, she turned the volume knob down- “Oh yeah, one hole in the container and BOOM. You got yourself some fireworks.” 

“Thanks, I’ll be done soon, hopefully.” She chuckled to herself, looking around on the ground beneath her feet. Veronica soon found a rock, and tossed it up twice to judge its weight. She then hurled it as hard as she could at a cluster of green containers, causing all the men to look up and glance at each other. “What was that?” One of them asked, aiming his weapon at the tanks before walking forward to investigate. The other four creeped closer to it, as though they expected a monster to jump from the middle and slay them all. V swiftly grabbed a grenade from the backpack, pulling the pin out and tossing it in the same direction as the rock. A few of them jumped back, having no time to escape before the grenade detonated and took the containers with it. 

As orange fire erupted from the tanks, several loud explosions rang out and threw the men flying in different directions. “Oh shit, boom indeed!” V yelled, her ears ringing from the strength of the eruption. Green smoke wafted up into the air and she watched it until it dissipated a few minutes later. Once she was sure no one was left alive, Veronica made her way down the small cliff to the building. 

The research station looked like a small wood cabin. It had a red door, with dried flowers hanging up on the porch. Approaching it, she had to step over the blackened bodies. Shrapnel stuck out from their appendages, making it a hard sight to see. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her veins came to a harsh stop as she looked at her fallen enemies. When she came into the building she saw a man laying on the floor with his ankles and wrists tied, V gasped in shock. “Do something, before they come back!” He pleaded, his eyes wide with horror. “I already took care of them, you’re safe.” She replied, only a little emotion showing in her voice.

Once he was free- he sat up against the desk in the middle of the cabin. “I can’t thank you enough, I gotta get outta here.. once I have the strength.” He said and sighed, a slight wheeze in his breath. Examining his face, Veronica saw that he’d been beaten pretty recently. “I’m sorry they did this to you, just try to get out of here as fast as you can.” She sighed, giving him a hand and helping him to his feet. The man thanked her again before wandering out the door, leaving her alone to examine the room. 

In front of her and past the desk, the back wall was covered with counters and cabinets containing beakers and microscopes, and to her left there were several small fridges with medicine. ‘This might be handy..’ She thought and pulled one open, pulling out a first aid kit to shove in her bag. “Alright deputy,” Her radio suddenly sounded off, causing her to jump- “I’ve just got one more thing I need from you then you’re free to do as you please.” 

“Oh really, what’s that?” 

“My CB is on the fritz, we need to get it up and running again so I can find out what’s happening off this island. The radio tower on the South shore must be busted, think you can take care of that for me?” Dutch asked, ending on a sarcastic note. “Yes, Dutch, I can take care of that for you. Let me just walk my happy ass all the way to the other side of your island.” Veronica replied in a sickly sweet voice, and turned around to make her way back down the path she’d been walking all day. 

On the way, she passed the boathouse again and then an abandoned ranger’s station. Her boots were covered in mud by the time she reached a formidable white hangar. At the front of the building there was a brown and white sign that said ‘Silver Lake Conservation Area Central Radio Tower’, and a fence surrounded the large red pole. 

Ronnie walked around the chain length fence, ignoring a ‘NO TRESPASSING’ sign in favour of a tall blue ladder scaling the side of the tower. “I gotta climb this thing? To the top?” She asked incredulously as she gripped the cold metal and hauled herself skyward. There were three separate platforms at various heights on the tower, and she reached the first one with ease. 

When Veronica looked down- she could see the tops of some of the evergreens, and the bridge she’d fallen from with Burke. Taking a deep breath, she hauled herself up the second ladder. She made it to the second without incident, and finally the third one. Once her feet were solidly on the metal platform, she couldn’t help but hold her arms out to either side to try and gain some balance. The radio tower swayed gently with each step until she finally made it to a large yellow lever and grasped it, pulling it down with a heavy creak. Humming emanated from the antenna as it powered up and V flinched, grabbing one of the main poles on the structure to steady herself. 

“Veronica, I’m getting a stronger signal now! Take out your map so I can tell you what’s happening.” Dutch said as soon as the tower was up and running. “I have to take it out up here?” She asked, looking down at the ground that she could barely see for the fog below her. When he didn’t reply, she shakily reached into her bag and took out the map, taking a deep breath as she released the pole to spread the map open. “Okay, ready.” She called into her radio, which was sitting in the backpack’s side pocket with the line open. 

“Hope County is divided into three regions. To the North, you got the Whitetail Mountains- it’s run by Jacob Seed, the oldest brother. He’s the one training the cult and he’s damn good at what he does. Eli Palmer and the Whitetail Militia have been trying to hold out, but Jacob’s at their throats. Southeast of there, you got the Henbane River; that’s Faith’s territory.. the little ‘sister’. I’ve heard all sorts of stories about people losing their minds in a place called ‘The Bliss’. Now west, there’s Holland Valley; John Seed’s just rolled in there and is taking everything in the name of the cult- food, supplies… and worst of all, people. I’m getting all sorts of calls all over the County, I’ll let you know anything that might be useful. Also, I just picked up something you might want to see… it’s a broadcast from John, check your phone, I should be able to send it to you now.” 

Ronnie sighed and pulled out her phone, still not feeling entirely comfortable so high in the air. There was a large crack in the screen that spiderwebbed out, but she was able to see well enough. A link came through her messages and she clicked on it, opening up a video. John Seed’s face filled her screen and her heart faltered for a moment as he spoke, his velvety voice reaching out to her, “We are all sinners. Every one of us. You, me, even the Father knows deeply of sin. It’s a poison that crowds our minds.” As he spoke, he walked down an aisle between rows of pews and guards stood at either side of the aisle. “What if I told you you could be free from sin? What if I told you everything you ever dreamed could come true, what if I told you everything could be overcome if you embraced an idea: that freedom from sin can come from the power of just… one word.” The camera zoomed in close on him once more, and he raised both arms- the video panning upwards to reveal a bright sign that said ‘YES’. A crowd applauded as the angle changed, and Veronica’s mouth dropped open as she saw Joey Hudson. 

Tape was over her mouth, and her mascara ran down her cheeks in lines as a peggie led her over to John. “Yes, I am a sinner. Yes, I wish to be unburdened, yes I must be redeemed.” He put a shoulder around her arms, and V felt sick. “If you’re watching this, know that you have been selected. You will be cleansed, you will confess your sins, and you will be offered atonement.” John smiled calmly at the camera, walking away from Joey and pressing his palms together, “Don’t worry! You don’t have to do anything. We’ll come for you. Welcome to Eden’s Gate.” He murmured, and it seemed like he was speaking directly to her. 

“Hudson’s in a world of shit, kid, you gotta get going.” Dutch’s voice brought her back to reality as the screen faded to black and V put her phone away. “Where do I start?” She asked him, not sure what to do. “Go to Fall’s End. Mary May and Pastor Jerome can tell you what needs to be done.” He replied before closing the connection with a click. She looked down at the ground, the fog had cleared up quite a bit for such a short amount of time. V glanced at the zip lines leading down the tower, her thoughts scattered after that video. ‘I need to rescue Joey.’ The thought kept flashing in her mind like a blaring red sign in her frontal lobe. 

Ronnie grabbed the metal handle at the top of the zipline, her knuckles going white with the pressure she applied as she took a deep breath and jumped off the platform. The line hissed and her hands felt hot from the friction, it was almost too much to bear as she was thrown to the ground at the end of the zipline. ‘Mark that off the bucket list!’ She thought as she got to her feet and dusted her knees off. Walking up out of the treeline, she saw the garage door on the white hangar was open, and her radio beeped once more “Here’s a set of wheels for you, I clearly don’t need it. Follow the gravel road off the island until you hit the Devil’s Fork, see which way the wind takes you. Best of luck, Veronica- I’ll call if I get some new info. Dutch out.” With a sense of finality her radio quieted, and she was alone in the dry Montana heat. 

The inside of the hangar was dusty, like no one had been there in a while. The quad’s paint was dull, and V wiped the seat off before taking a seat and turning the key. Rumbling to life, the engine hummed and she took off into the bright sunlight. 

Upon reaching the Devil’s Fork, she slowed to a stop and considered each direction. The road split into three, each one leading to one of the Seeds. With a heavy sigh Veronica continued forward, towards the bridge that led to Holland Valley. Crossing the bridge, she saw multiple signs that said “JUST SAY YES. TAKE THE LEAP” and felt sick to her stomach as she remembered John’s broadcast. The deputy had always thought that things happened for a reason, but now she wondered why her?

Further down the road she saw a sign for a pumpkin farm, and recalled one of the names she’d seen on Dutch’s map, ‘Boomer’. ‘If I’m going to save anyone, I guess I’ll need some help..’ Veronica debated on turning down the dirt driveway to the farm to meet the possible ally, but couldn’t decide. Gunshots rang out suddenly, making up her mind for her and causing her to turn down the smaller road. She read the sign as she passed, ‘Rae-Rae’s Pumpkin Farm’. 

The driveway led to a small cluster of buildings, a group of peggies surrounded a large iron cage to the left of the buildings. Veronica crouched down and slowly started making her way forward, making sure she could see all of them as she pulled out her AR-C. Taking aim, the woman pulled the trigger ever so slightly and began sweeping back and forth, landing multiple shots and wounding a majority of them. The cultists cried out in surprise and pain as the uninjured ones jumped to safety, ducking away from the spray of bullets. 

Ronnie peeked over the fence she was crouched by once more to shoot the remaining peggies as they took a chance to look out from behind their cover, ending the battle as quickly as it’d begun. When she stood, V looked into the cage to see a dog pacing inside. “Why’d they cage you up buddy?” She asked, to which the dog barked. 

Veronica walked up to the cage and took out her 1911, shooting off the padlock on the side. The dog barked once more, and ran from the cage to a small white house that looked like it’d seen better days. Ronnie followed him, coming through the small wooden fence to see the grey and black hound whining and nudging the hand of a blood soaked woman. V’s heart ached for this animal, and as she watched the moving scene her eyes became misty. ‘I have to stop this cult.’ She resolved, walking over to the dog and putting a hand on his head to ruffle his fur. The dog turned and sniffed Veronica’s hand, whining once more before licking her. “Oh, thanks.” She said and wiped her hand off on her pants.

Her gaze drifted to the small dog house that was next to the corpse, and she saw it said ‘Boomer’ above the entrance. “You’re Boomer? Okay, that makes a lot more sense.” V nodded. She looked down at the corpse of the woman, and the man next to her. ‘I can’t just leave them like this.’ 

She made her way to a small green shed behind the house, opening the door with a creak and quickly seeing what she was looking for. Both hands held the shovel tightly, her face mournful as she dug two shallow graves in the backyard. Almost an hour later, Veronica had laid the pair to rest and now she walked into their home with Boomer at her side. It didn’t take her long to find the bathroom, where she turned on the sink and scrubbed at her arms that had been dyed a ghastly shade of red after the events of the day. Her whole body ached, and all she wanted to do was sleep; yet she knew she had to reach Fall’s End first. 

After cleaning herself up as much as possible, V made her way to an off-white truck that had the Eden’s Gate symbol on the side. “This’ll do.” She decided, abandoning her quad in favour of having some cover from any enemies she may pass on the way. When she opened the door of the vehicle, Boomer sprinted past her and jumped into the cab; settling into the passenger’s seat and looking at her expectantly. “You wanna come with?” Veronica asked as she slid into the driver’s seat and turned the key. Her companion barked in response, and Ronnie chuckled at his enthusiasm. “Alright, let’s do this!” As she pulled away from Rae-Rae’s- she switched on the radio and searched for something tolerable. Veronica turned out of the driveway onto the main road and realised that there were only two radio stations, neither of which seemed appealing. “Let’s just turn this off then.” She said with a sigh, and looked back to the road. “Fall’s End here we come!” 

About 20 minutes later, the pair was nearing their destination. They’d just passed another ‘Fall’s End’ sign when Veronica’s radio chirped and Dutch came over the speaker, “Kid, be careful as you get closer to Fall’s End- the cult has control of the whole town. You need to rescue Mary May and Jerome, and kick some peggie ass.” V nodded, pressing the callback button to say “That’s the plan, Dutch. Do you just have cameras everywhere in the county?” 

“Cameras and people, Deputy.” 

“You know the former is against the law right?” Ronnie asked, a taunting tone in her voice. When no response came, she looked over to Boomer with a smile, “Typical.” 

The truck rumbled down the road as Veronica slowed, taking in the sight in front of her. Smoke rose in thick black plumes above the town, flames were consuming several buildings along the street and screams could be heard in the distance. V came to a complete stop, and stepped out onto the asphalt with Boomer on her tail. “Let’s go on foot from here..” She said to the cattle dog before making her way forward.

At the end of the street, two homes had been burnt to blackened shells and the air was filled with smog; no one was to be seen. Ronnie pulled her AR-C closer and scanned the horizon. A peggie walked out of an intact house further down the road and she raised her weapon, taking him out swiftly. The shots echoed through the pillaged town and Veronica made her way to the body in front of the home. When she crouched down next to the corpse- Boomer started whining and caught her attention. “What’s up?” V asked him; she was answered by a resounding explosion that shook the ground and threw them off balance.

More yelling came from in front of the two- and Veronica scrambled to her feet to take shelter in the doorway of the house. At her feet she noticed the gun the peggie had been carrying; a heavy M60. A grin spread across her features as she quickly grabbed it, hoisting the weapon to her side. “Now this is a game changer!” Ronnie chuckled and peeked around the doorway before letting loose a hail of bullets on her enemies. 

Multiple cult vehicles were parked down the road, offering the peggies a lot of cover and leaving V with no choice but to advance forward. She sprinted from the door to a small picket fence and took a moment to look backwards; Boomer ran from around the house and came to her side. A sigh of relief came from the woman as she ruffled the fur on his head, “I’m glad you’re okay! Just try to stay out of trouble okay?” The dog barked twice in response and jumped over the fence, running onto the battlefield and disappearing behind the trucks parked in the road. “Or immediately run into trouble, I guess!” Veronica scoffed and vaulted over the fence, taking cover behind one of the cult’s trucks.

Peering around the side of the vehicle, V saw Boomer pulling on a man’s arm and tugging him to the ground. She aimed once more to take him out and the dog ran off once more; ‘At least he can handle himself!’ Veronica thought before swinging her backpack around her front to rummage through it for her last grenade. She pulled the pin swiftly and threw it in the direction of yelling men, one of whom she heard shout “Air support incoming!” 

“How many fucking planes do these assholes have?” Ronnie growled and dashed from the side of the truck to under a wide balcony on what appeared to be a bar. The plane’s engine roared as it swooped low, shooting down anyone and anything in its path. Veronica ducked and shot at the last few cultists she saw out in the open before rifling through her backpack once more for a solution to her plane problem. “Okay what do we have… motherfucker…” The deputy realised she was low on options when she came up with a single stick of dynamite. 

Across the street, V’s eyes landed on a mounted gun that had been placed on the roof of a general store. “Bingo.” She resolved before dashing to the other side of the road. On the side of the building there was a metal ladder that led directly to the roof. Veronica practically jumped up the rungs as the aerial assault continued. 

Once her hands met the solid metal of the machine gun she whirled it around to face the plane which was swooping once more, about to shower her in gunfire. A ferocious yell emitted from the woman as she shot at her enemy, letting him have everything. At the last moment, she landed the miracle shot and the plane took a nosedive, crashing into one of the wrecked buildings and subsequently exploding. 

Veronica breathed heavily as the air settled, adrenaline making her pulse pound. When she heard nothing, V looked down at the town and saw citizens climbing from their hiding places to gaze at her. Unsure what to do, she waved sheepishly. ‘I gotta get off this roof.’ 

A blonde woman came to Ronnie’s side when she was on the ground once more, clapping her on the shoulder. “Goddamn, you sure know how to crash a party! I’m Mary May Fairgrave, what’s your name?” 

“Veronica Rook… I’m a sheriff’s deputy. Dutch told me Fall’s End was in trouble, and that there may be people here who know how to help me save my friends... I believe you were mentioned specifically.” 

Mary May looked at her thoughtfully, responding “I might know how to help. Stay and help us clean up the place, would ya? Then we can talk more at my bar, the Spread Eagle.” V chuckled at the name, “Sounds like a plan… thank you, Mary May.” With a nod, the other woman was gone and directing a group of townspeople on what needed to be done. 

The sun was beginning to set by the time the town was started to look less like Eden’s Gate territory. In the middle of the street they’d started a bonfire for all the cult’s propaganda; flags, posters, and other such items kept the flames roaring. Veronica let out a satisfied sigh as she heaved the last load of flags onto the pile, and she made her way to the Spread Eagle. 

On the doorstep to the bar, Boomer laid on his side. “Hey bud! Are you alright? You’re kind of a little badass!” Veronica praised him and pet his flank. He rolled over to give her access to his stomach, and she scratched him for a moment before returning to her goal. 

As she pushed open the door to the establishment, she heard preaching. “He will wipe the tears from their eyes, there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” Ronnie’s eyes found a man in a priest’s garb, reading from the Bible. “For I know the plans that I have made for you’ Declared the lord. ‘Plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” After the final line, he saw Veronica standing a few feet from him and closed the distance to embrace her. V nearly flinched at the sudden physical contact, and the man pulled back to look into her eyes. “I don’t claim to know God’s plans, but I know a good thing when I see it. You’re the first good thing to happen to this Valley in a long time. I’m Pastor Jerome Jeffries, nice to finally make your acquaintance, Veronica.” The woman smiled at him before joking, “Oh, I didn’t realise I was becoming a household name already.” Jerome smiled and responded “Dutch and Mary May told me about you. It’s pretty impressive to save a whole township on your own..” 

Ronnie deflected, gesturing outside where Boomer laid “I had some help, Pastor… but thank you. Where is Mary May?” As he was about to answer, the barkeep descended the stairs with a stack of boxes in her arms, “A little help?” She asked and Jerome hurried to her side to take some of the load. “Are you trying to break your back?” He chided. 

“Seemed like a good idea at the time!”

When Mary May made it down the stairs, Veronica grabbed another box from her stack. “Oh shit, it’s you! Sorry, I didn’t realise… all the shit you’ve done- might as well add mover to the list huh?” She joked as the trio walked to the bar and set down the boxes. “I thought Eden’s Gate confiscated all of this?” Jerome asked as he grabbed a bottle from an open crate. “What the hell kinda Fairgrave would I be if I didn’t have a secret stash? Learned from the best…” Came Mary’s response. A hint of sadness coated her last words as she picked up a framed photograph of her and a man, looking at it fondly. 

After putting it down, she went to a cabinet on the back wall and grabbed three cups. The Pastor looked to Veronica, saying “This town’s been through a lot, deputy. We owe you thanks but--” 

Mary May’s husky voice cut him off, “I know you’re looking for your people, but the truth is you ain’t the only one in need of help. Jerome and I can only do so much. If you could see about lending a hand, we’ll return the favour.” Jerome filled the three cups with about two fingers of whiskey before handing a cup to Veronica, and raising his own, “What do you say?” Ronnie took the cup from his hands, clinking hers against their own. “I say let’s kill some peggies and save some folks!” The three of them cheered and shot down the brown liquor. “Mary May’ll get you squared away… when you get a chance, come by the church. I’ll be waiting for you.” Jerome said and gave V a warm smile before leaving the two women in silence. 

“Well Veronica, I’d say I need a few more drinks than that after a day like today. How about you?” Thinking for only a moment, Ronnie nodded quickly and pushed her cup over to her. “Fuck yeah, hit me.” 

Only an hour later, the pair were quite drunk. “Man… what is all this craziness, you know? Like… what the hell, one day I’m smoking a blunt on my balcony the next I’m murdering crazy cultists! Speaking of, I need some fucking weed if I’m gonna keep this shit up!” Veronica was nearly shouting as she waved her drink around, accentuating her point. Mary May was sitting on the ground, her back against the bar. “I hear ya sister… Eden’s Gate’s just got everything all… fucked up. How do you smoke weed if you’re a deputy, Deputy?” She taunted and took a swig of her beer. “Listen okay, I uphold the laws that aren’t super dumb, okay? I’m not gonna stop smoking weed just because it’s ‘illegal’ and I’m a ‘protector of the law’” On these phrases, Ronnie made heavy use of finger quotes, “... besides, after this shit I’m gonna definitely qualify for a medical card and then it won’t be nothin’ but a thing, so ha.” As she spoke her words slurred, and she finished off her drink. “What was the question again?” Mary May asked, making use of the barstools to hoist herself up off the ground. “What question?” Veronica retorted with a drunken chuckle before spinning around in her seat and hopping off the stool. “Is there somewhere I can crash?” V questioned and grabbed her backpack and newly acquired M60. Mary May squinted at her for a moment as if deciphering her question before saying suddenly, “Upstairs. There’s a room on the right.. sleep tight!” 

“Heh, that rhymed..” Ronnie giggled as she slowly made her way up the stairs. Two flights later she was at the door to a small room that contained a bed and a dresser as the main furnishings. The woman stumbled in and threw her things next to the dresser before falling into the bed. Veronica had barely pulled the comforter around herself before her radio sounded off from the pile of her belongings. 

When V heard John Seed’s voice, she sobered up almost immediately and goosebumps crept along her skin. “Brothers and sisters… someone out there is not playing by the rules. Someone is taking from us. Stealing what rightfully belongs to the Father. She is a murderer and a coward. But God sees her... and God will guide us to her. She will be found and she will be punished. This is the will of the Father.” Though his words were coated with venom, his voice still called to her like a haunting melody. It was as though he had waited until she was alone to hurt her more.

Veronica gagged, all of the whiskey and beer from this evening suddenly rushing up from her stomach. She clutched a hand over her mouth and looked around wildly; seeing a trash can in the corner, she leapt for it and retched. The alcohol burned coming back up as she heard John’s words, ‘Murderer’, ‘Coward’. Was this really how he saw her? Why did she care? The thoughts danced around her brain, making her dizzy. 

When she was done throwing up the contents of her stomach, V felt shaky and fragile. She returned to the bed and her brain pounded against her skull, cursing her for drinking so much. The youngest Seed’s warning returned to her mind, and the thought of John searching her out to hurt her planted the seed of wrath in Veronica. ‘I hope he tries.’ Was her last thought before drifting into a restless slumber.


End file.
